Demonstration of a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer based on spectral hole burning

Spectral hole-burning (SHB) technology is considered for > 10-GHz instantan eous bandwidth signal-processing applications. In this context we report on what is believed to be the first demonstration of a SHB microwave spectrom eter. A set of gratings engraved in a SHB crystal is used to filter one sid eband of the optically carried microwave signal. The setup is confined to n arrow-bandwidth operation, over a 35-MHz-wide interval. The first findings confirm the validity of the architecture in terms of spectral resolution, a ngular channel separation, and simultaneous detection of multiple spectral lines. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.